A Heart of Gold
by Dulcea Viata
Summary: Emily Wade had a heart of gold. Trying to escape her life, she signed up as a medic in Easy Company. Her bravery and compassion shone through at every moment, as did her love and respect for Gene Roe. But will another dark-haired soldier steal her heart?
1. Preparation

******For foroneandall (and anyone else who is wondering): I'm reposting this because I've COMPLETELY changed the plot, the first two chapters are the same but I've changed it from then on. I was originally going to have it Emily/Shifty, but decided against it. I'm sorry if I've confused anyone, I probably should have just changed the original one, (don't know why I didn't?). Anyways, sorry for the confusion, Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Band of Brothers, and this story is not based on the real men, but on the actors that portrayed them.**

**Enjoy :D**

**

* * *

****Preparation**

Emily sat on a crate, rubbing her hands together, trying to muster up a little heat for her numb fingers. A thin layer of mist covered the airstrip, and an ice cold breeze rattled through the field. She wiggled her toes in her boots, at least two sizes too big, but the smallest they came. It seemed almost everything here was too big for her. She exhaled softly, resting her chin upon her delicately folded arms.

"Fingers any better?" Emily turned round to face the young, raven-haired Cajun staring at her, a mischievous grin painted on his pale face, cheeks red from the bitter cold.

"A bit," she smiled back.

"I'm telling you," he sat down beside her on the muddy, boot-trodden ground, not bothering to look for a crate of his own, "Strange weather for June alright."

"I suppose." She shivered, half out of lack of warmth, half out of anxiousness.

"Easy Company! Listen up! Gather up around me!" Lieutenant Meehan's voice echoed from across the field. Eugene sighed, stood up and brushed himself down.

"Come on," he held out a hand for Emily, and gently pulled her to her feet.

They began to walk across the muddy ground, towards the dishevelled, cold, tired and hungry group of men that made up Easy Company. There wasn't a smile in sight.

"The Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. High winds on the drop zone. No jump tonight!"

"Ah, Jesus…" she turned to find a very grumpy looking Bill Guarnere. "Can you believe this?"

"Guess not," Emily replied, brows creased. She'd learnt that sometimes it was just easier to agree with him.

* * *

Emily stepped through the flap of the tent that Doc Roe held open for her. He stepped in behind her and dropped the flap, blocking out the sun and plunging the room into darkness. They found two seats together near the back of the room, and sat down, the clicking of the projector behind them.

"Hey, Tip," Emily whispered to the young man sitting beside her, a warming smile slipping onto her delicate face, "What film is it?" He shrugged his shoulders, eyes not really focusing on the screen. The atmosphere mirrored that of the expression on Tipper's face: the man were fed up. Fed up of being cold, fed up of being tired, fed up of being hungry, but most of all, fed up of waiting.

Emily couldn't blame them. She just wanted it to be over too.

* * *

"You people are at the position of attention!" Lieutenant Sobel's voice rang out across the silence. Immediately, everyone stiffened up and straightened out. He marched towards Perconte.

"Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?"

"No, sir."

"Then explain the creases at the bottom."

Perconte paused for a split second.

"No excuse, sir." "Volunteering for the parachute infantry regiment is one thing, Perconte, but you've got a long way to prove that you belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked."

Emily glanced over at Perconte. She could see the disappointment on his face. Sobel worked the men too hard, and their only respite was their weekends away from Toccoa. She was so busy looking at Frank, that she didn't notice Sobel heading straight for her.

"Miss Wade!"

"Sir." She hated the way he did that, the way he made her stand out from the rest of Easy, as if she didn't enough already. He reached a hand up to her face, and grabbed the long braid that fell down her back.

"Your hair," he held it up in front of her face. "It's too long." He leaned in close to her and sneered, "Cut it. Tonight. Or else."

"Sir," she replied, her voice shaky. He set off in search of more days to dampen.

* * *

Eugene Roe opened and closed the sharp pair of menacing scissors in his hand.

"You're sure about this?" he asked, not sounding so sure himself.

"Yes."

"Okay then…" he lifted up her long plait, and Emily squeezed her eyes shut tight as she felt the sharp snip of the scissors cutting the waves of her flowing brown hair.

After about five minutes, Emily managed to peel her eyes open.

"Is it finished?" Gene exhaled softly.

"Yeah, it's finished." She stood up and walked towards the mirror hanging on the otherwise bare wall.

Her mouth fell open in shock.

"Dear God_,_ Gene, what the _hell_ did you do?"

"What, you don't like it?"

"_Like _it? It's… it's hideous!"

"No it's not… it's actually kinda cute."

Emily's cheeks flushed, and she stared at her feet.

"You think so?" He ruffled her newly cut, albeit short, hair and smiled.

"Yeah, I do."

* * *

"Hey Wade, nice haircut!" Emily glared at him.

"Shut up, Lieb!"

"Hey, what'd I say?"

Guarnere lent in close to Liebgott and whispered,

"Something about them broads, everything you say seems to offend them…"

Emily turned round and glared at him too. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Idiots…" Emily hissed under her breath.

* * *

"Come on, Em, it's not much further…"

Emily could barely make out what he was saying, she couldn't think straight. The sun beat down on her head, without even a hint of a breeze.

Emily hated Currahee, hated it with a passion. Almost everyday, Sobel made them traipse up and down it, three miles up, three miles down.

She struggled to put one foot in front of the other, her head swimming, her surroundings spinning. She tripped, but a rough hand gripped her arm, keeping her upright.

"You'll be okay, Em, you can do this," she heard

Gene beside her, urging her to keep going.

All of a sudden it became too much to bear and she collapsed. Doc Roe just about caught her on time. He dragged her over to a rock and propped her up on top of it.

"Em," he slapped her cheeks gently. "Em!"

She started to come round, and cracked open her eyes.

"Gene? What happened?"

"It's alright, you just fainted a little, that's all."

She rubbed her eyes.

"I'm okay now…"

"Emily, you should just sit down for a minute." He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

She tried to stand up in defiance anyway, but her knees buckled and she fell again. Gene propped her back up on the rock.

"Sit down, doctor's orders," he smiled.

"Hey," she smiled back. "I'm a medic too."

Lieutenant Winters came jogging over, sweat laced across his brow.

"Roe… why have you stopped?"

"It's Emily, sir, she ain't doing too good."

"Here." Winters held out his canteen. "Drink."

Emily raised the canteen to her lips, and felt the cool water slip down her throat, making her feel instantly better.

"Thank you, sir, I think I'm okay now."

She stood up, her legs shaky but holding.

"Alright," he said. "But be careful"

"Thank you, sir," she nodded, "I will be."

Emily noticed the main difference between Winters and Sobel: Winters cared about the men, Sobel, on the other hand, did not.

* * *

After what seemed like an age, they finally reached the bottom of the hill. Emily collapsed once more, and looked up to find that she wasn't the only one. George Luz and Donald Malarkey lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. Even Sobel looked puffed.

"Easy company…" he panted. "Fall out…" He turned on his heel and limped off.

Gene held out a hand for Emily, to help her up off the ground.

"Thanks…" she panted, still gasping for breath.

She turned, still clutching her side, and began to shakily walk back towards Toccoa. Feet aching, she slipped on an uneven rock, and was mere inches from the ground when an arm slid round her waist and caught her.

"You better watch yourself there, Wade," grinned Floyd Talbert.

"Thanks, Tab…" she smiled back gently, cheeks ablaze. He lifted her up and set her back on her feet. Tab flashed her another grin and jogged off to join up with Liebgott and Malarkey, who shot him a glare.

Emily still felt her cheeks burning, and tried to compose herself, putting weight on her foot and then wincing. She caught Gene looking at her anxiously.

"It's nothing," she started, "It's not even a sprain…"

"Here," he turned round. "Get on."

"What?" Emily's brow crinkled in confusion.

"I'll give you a piggy-back to the camp."

"Gene, you can't possibly…"

"I can, now get on," he grinned.

Reluctantly, Emily climbed on to his back.

"You're… you're sure about this?"

"Course I am, Em," he chuckled.

"Hey… Doc…" panted Joe Toye.

"Think you could give me a ride too?"

"Sorry Toye, no game."

Emily laughed and squeezed her arm's gently around Gene's neck.

* * *

"You gonna be much longer?" called Eugene.

"Just a sec!" replied Emily.

Eugene Roe sat cross-legged on the floor, reading a tattered paperback book. He had never read anything so truly uninteresting before, not that he read much anyway.

Joe Liebgott and four of the other guys walked towards Gene.

"What you doing sitting out here, Doc?"

"Emily's in the shower, she'll only be a minute."

"Jesus…" said Joe, clearly exasperated.

"What?"

"Since when has this been a _female_ shower block?" Joe scowled.

"Look, she won't be much longer…"

At that very moment, Emily walked round the corner, a towel wrapped round her, holding her clothes in one hand and her boots in the other.

She cringed as Joe Liebgott and the other four pairs of eyes looked her up and down.

"Umm… guys?" she emphasised.

"Oh… right… sorry…" Joe swiftly turned round, clearly embarrassed, and marched off, the other four, equally embarrassed, trailing behind him.

"That scared them off," smiled Gene.

"Yeah, it sure did," she grinned back.

**So... What did you think? Drop me a review if you can, and let me know how it was :)**

**D. V. 3**


	2. Fatigue

****

**Thank you so much to my three lovely reviewers: EmmyMK, britt and AlishaofTroy :) I know Talbert isn't in a lot of fanfics, so I thought he deserved a little love ;) Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think :) D. V. x**

* * *

Fatigue

Sobel stood in front of the columns of men, leaning in close to Winters, sneering in his face. Emily felt her eyelids drooping, and shook her head to try and keep herself awake. Every Friday night they were made to march 12 miles, full pack, in the pitch dark. Emily didn't know how much more of it she could take.

She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. She hadn't seen her family in weeks… but that done her more good than bad.

Her train of thought was severed when she felt herself slip into unconsciousness. Shifty Powers caught her just in time.

"Miss Wade… you okay?" Gene rushed over to find Emily slumped in Shifty's arms.

"What happened?" he knelt down beside her and laid a hand upon her forehead. "She's got a fever…"

Gene lifted his head up to find Sobel marching furiously towards him, like a steam train with no intentions of stopping.

"What is the meaning of this?" he shouted.

"It's Emily, sir," Gene replied meekly. "She's sick."

"Sick?" Sobel sneered. "Or just _weak_? Women don't belong here, Roe, no exceptions." Sobel turned on his heel and stomped off triumphant.

Eugene stared after him, Emily's head still in his hands. _How could he do this to her? _he thought angrily. _She's only seventeen… _Gene looked down towards her gentle, moonlit face. _She doesn't deserve this._

He slid an arm round her shoulders and another under her legs. He shakily rose to his feet and turned to face Winters.

"Permission to leave, sir." He could see the pity so evident in Winters' face.

"Granted."

"Thank you, sir." Winters smiled weakly at the young man with a young woman unconscious in his arms.

Sobel was hard on all the men, but most of all, on Emily. He seemed almost determined on crushing her gentle spirit. Winters did what he could, cutting her some slack, not giving Emily her fair share of latrine duty, and making sure she did the washing up on a day when they weren't serving mushroom soup for lunch. And as if the other men would be jealous of her, they felt the same way about Emily as Winters did, and it made them hate Sobel all the more.

Doc Roe turned, and began walking shakily towards the huts were they had resided for the past couple of weeks. Her skin felt warm, even through her thick clothes, and Gene hoped, _prayed_, that she'd be okay.

"Come on, Em," he whispered. "You can do this, you're strong…"

Emily opened her eyes, the bright light making her wince. She moaned and rolled onto her side. She felt a gentle hand clasp her own.

"Morning." She looked up the find the bright eyed Cajun smiling at her. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, thanks…" she sat up and propped herself up against the pillow at the head of her bed. "What happened to me?" Her throat felt dry and her head was pounding.

"You fainted." Emily laughed softly.

"Yes, I know _that_," she smiled. "But why?"

"You're exhausted… Sobel's been too hard on you." Emily shook her head.

"He's treated me just the same as the rest of the guys."

"No he hasn't and you know it. You work twice as hard as the rest of us, Em. I was…" Gene paused. "I was really worried about you…"

Emily looked at Eugene Roe and smiled. He always looked out for her, always made sure she was okay. He must have felt scared, she knew she did, and after all, he _was _only two years older than her. Eugene Roe was the brother she'd never had, but always wanted.

_Emily sat alone on a bench, in a room full of people she didn't know. Occasionally she glanced up only to be met by curious stares and whispers._

"_A _woman_?" they said. "Why is she here?" _Yes. Why am I here? _she thought. _Why did I sign up for this?_ She glanced around nervously. _As if I'll ever fit in… _And she'd thought starting a new school was daunting. _

_A young man, with dark hair and gentle eyes sat down beside her on the bench._

"_You a medic too?" he asked, a smile finding its way onto his handsome face. Emily nodded. He held out his hand. "Eugene Roe." She took his hand and shook it gently. _

"_Emily Wade." _

"_You with second?" Emily nodded again. "I'm with first."_

"_Hey… Roe!" a shout came from across the room. Eugene glanced round, and turned back to face Emily. He smiled warmly._

"_Well, I'd better go. It was nice meeting you, Miss Wade."_

"_And you," Emily smiled back at him. He got up and left._

Well_,_ _she thought, _at least now I know someone.

Emily's smile really was beautiful. _How many hearts has she broken with that smile? _Eugene had thought on more than one occasion. She was the sort of person that no matter how many times you pushed her down, she'd get back up again. So many men hadn't been able to cope with Sobel, but Emily had, and everyone knew that annoyed Sobel more than anything. Emily Wade was the younger sister he never had, but always wanted.

Sobel burst through the door, closely followed by Evans. Emily leaped out of bed and stood beside Eugene at the end of it. Sobel marched up the middle of the room, glaring at the men as he passed them. He stopped at Emily.

"Feeling better, _Miss _Wade?" he mocked.

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir."

"Good…" he marched back towards the door of the hut and turned to face the men. "Listen up! We move out in half an hour for jump training. Yes men, today is the day you _finally _become paratroopers."

The plane spluttered as it journeyed on. Every so often it would dip, making Emily want to throw up. She wished that Gene was here. She didn't want to do this alone.

The instructor got up off his seat and called out,

"Stand up! Hook up!"

Emily got shakily to her feet and attached the hook of her parachute to the thin metal cord than ran above her head.

"Check equipment!"

Luz was standing in front of her, and she frantically began checking his parachute and webbing. She felt Webster behind her, doing the same to her own.

"Sound off for equipment check!"

"Nine okay!"

"Eight okay!" There was a pause. Emily felt Webster nudge her.

"Uh… Seven okay!"

She didn't hear the rest of the voices, all she could do was think about the plane… and the ground underneath.

Emily watched the red light at the front of the plane, beside the door, blink green, and felt her face pale as she watched Toye _hurl _himself out of the plane. Soon enough, almost _too_ soon, it was Emily's turn. She looked up at the instructor.

"You ready?" he asked. All she could do was nod. "Go! Go! Go!"

Apart from the initial jerk from the prop blast, Emily's drift towards the ground was gentle. Once she managed to peel her eyes open, she was amazed by the view. She could see miles upon miles of rolling hills and fields. The wind ruffled her, now, shoulder length hair underneath her helmet.

Emily's feet came down gently, more gently than she had expected, and she looked up at the plane she had just leapt out of.

_God, that was high_, she thought. She looked round to see Webster landing gently behind her. He looked as pale as a sheet, and his legs were shaking. "Hey, Web, you alright?" All he could do was nod. She smiled and started unhooking her parachute.

"Hi-yo silver!" she heard Guarnere exclaim, and the clamour that followed was joyous.

"Em, you wanna drink of something?"

Emily turned round to face her closest friend.

"Yeah, just water, thanks," she smiled.

"Okay," he smiled back.

She watched him walk towards the counter, where Joe Toye was slumped over a half-empty glass. She saw Eugene laugh as he talked to Luz.

Emily loved the way Gene laughed, the way his eyes lit up when he smiled, the way he said her name. Emily just… loved Gene. They were inseparable, and she admired everything about him.

"Thanks, George," he chuckled, and he turned and started walking back towards Emily, her glass in his right hand, his own in his other.

Emily snapped out of her daydream just as he reached the table. He raised his glass in a toast.

"Currahee," he grinned.

"Currahee," Emily grinned back.

The room was quiet, and Eugene Roe couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned restlessly in his bunk, but to no avail. _This is useless, _he thought. He heaved himself out of bed and went to sit beside a window. The moon shone brightly and the stars smiled down on him. His heart ached with longing for Louisiana. He exhaled softly and looked up at the same moon he'd seen so many times out his bedroom window.

"Gene?" He turned round to see Emily sitting up in her bed. "What's wrong?" she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing… I just can't sleep." Emily pulled herself out of her bed and sat down gently beside Gene.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked. "You just seem kinda upset…"

"It's my kid brother's birthday today. He's just a little younger than you." he interrupted.

"Oh, Gene…" Emily took his hand in hers. "Do you miss him?" He nodded. Emily stared out the window up at the stars. Gene looked at her intently.

"What about you, Em? Do you miss your family?" Emily stared down at her feet. "You never talk about them."

When Emily looked up at Gene, her eyes were filled with tears. Seeing her so upset almost broke Gene's heart.

"They hate me." His brow creased in confusion.

"What? Emily… they don't hate you…"

"They do," she interrupted. "They really do." The tears started running down her face.

"But… but why?" Emily sniffed and looked back at Gene.

"Because I killed my baby brother." Gene stared at her in disbelief. Emily had never spoken about her family before.

"Emily… I…"

"I was seven. Caught the measles off John Redwood, a kid who lived just down the street from us. I was alright, because I was strong, and healthy. But Tommy… he was only four, and had a bad heart. He caught it and… and…" Emily started sobbing, shoulders heaving, her face buried in her hands. Gene wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. He rocked her gently and whispered soothingly into her ear. Emily leant her head against his chest, and Gene stroked her hair.

"Emily, that wasn't your fault…" She pulled away and looked at him in anger.

"Yes it was, Gene, of course it was!" she sneered.

"It wasn't your fault he got sick!" He took her face in his hands, and ran his thumb along her cheek. "It wasn't your fault."

"But my parents blamed me for it. Tommy was their favourite, they'd always wanted a boy, and I was only a disappointment when I came along. They'd have rather I'd died instead of Tommy. They never forgave me."

"Oh, Em…" Gene's heart truly broke inside for her.

"That's why I signed up… to get away…"

"Away?" She looked at her feet.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter…"

"Emily! To get away from what?" asked Gene sharply.

"My… my father…" A tear ran down her face, and she closed her eyes. She began sobbing gently again. "I had to… I had to get away…"

Gene had never felt so angry. _If I ever meet her father, _he thought,

_I'll kill him._


	3. Trees

**For foroneandall (and anyone else who is wondering): I'm reposting this because I've COMPLETELY changed the plot, the first two chapters are the same but I've changed it from then on. I was originally going to have it Emily/Shifty, but decided against it. I'm sorry if I've confused anyone, I probably should have just changed the original one, (don't know why I didn't?). Anyways, sorry for the confusion, Enjoy :)**

**Whoop! Another chapter! I've been writing like mad lately ;) Thank you for the reviews EmmyMK and AlishaofTroy! And I'm still considering the ending ;) ENJOY! :)**

* * *

Trees

Emily crouched down, head just peaking above the ditch where she sat. Rows and rows of endless trees stretched out in front of her, eventually fading away into the distance. She glanced round at Eugene Roe, who was also crouched down, at the other end of the ditch. He caught her eye and flashed her a quick smile, before turning back to face the trees.

"Petty! Map! Come on!" she heard Sobel whisper.

"Oh, Christ," Petty hissed under his breath.

_Brilliant_, she thought. _Sobel's gone and got us lost again_… Lieutenant Winters scrambled over to Sobel, who was muttering 'We're in the wrong position.'

"We're textbook position for an ambush, sir."

Emily didn't catch the rest of the conversation, she was too busy smiling to herself at the confusion present on Sobel's face.

"Second platoon, move out," hissed Winters. The men looked round at each other, obviously as confused as Sobel. They stood up silently, grabbed all the gear, and started to scramble out of the ditch. Emily's legs weren't as long as the other Easy Company guy's, so she was finding it just a little bit difficult.

"Emily, here," whispered Muck, as he held out a hand and heaved her out of the ditch.

"Thanks, Skip," she whispered back, an embarrassed smirk on her face.

They had just caught up with the rest of the group, when Sobel halted. Emily glanced towards what he was staring at and saw eleven men, covered in foliage, pointing guns at them. She could see the disappointment on Sobel's face, the anger on Winters'.

"Captain," started a major, stepping out from behind a tree, "You've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?"

"Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506."

"Leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area."

"Goddamn it," hissed Sobel. Emily glanced over at Gene. She heard him exhale loudly then glare at Sobel. Their defeated Captain, turned to face the men. "You, you, you." He pointed at three men, who began offloading their equipment to hand it to someone else. Sobel turned and started marching towards the assembly area, and the men, reluctantly, followed.

* * *

Emily rested her head against the window of the gently rumbling train. The carriage occasionally shook with such vigour that she was almost certain the sleeping Gene would have fallen off the seat by now. He lay on his side, eyes closed, with a peaceful expression painted on his pale face.

The carriage rocked again, waking Gene from his slumber. He sat up and yawned, stretching his weary arms, and opening his heavy eyes.

"Mmm…" he groaned. "How long have I been asleep?" Emily smiled at him.

"About an hour or two."

"Really?" The look of confusion on his face was enough to make Emily laugh.

Oh, how Gene _loved _her laugh, even if it was directed at him. Her sweet, tinkling, joyous laugh. It was always enough to chase away even the most dismal of thoughts.

"Really," she smiled again.

"We nearly there?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I think so." Emily glanced out at the lush countryside rushing past the window, with an occasional cottage dotted amongst the rolling, green hills.

A noise approached, and she looked to her left, to find Joe Toye, George Luz and Donald Malarkey walking past their compartment. The first two walked past without so much as a glance, but as Malarkey walked past, he shot Emily a nervous smile, and threw her a timid wave. Emily awkwardly lifted her hand and waved back, a smile gracing her face. He swiftly moved on, and Emily's face turned a delicate shade of pink.

"Malarkey has a thing for you, you know," Gene grinned at her. She raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"I'm sure he does," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No honestly, he really does. All the Easy guys have a soft spot for you. They'd die for you, Em." The smile fell from Gene's face. Emily stared intently out of the window.

"I know… and I'd die for them."

* * *

The sun was starting to set in the crisp September sky. The sky was the most beautiful shades of pink and orange and yellow. Emily could feel the Statue of Liberty casting her gaze over the ship. She stood proud, a beacon of hope, towering over the ship. The men were packed in along the railings, catching a last glimpse of the land of the free and the home of the brave. Emily was right at the front, with Gene, as usual, by her side. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, making her shiver. Eugene put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Do you think we'll come home, Gene?" she asked, hands gripping the railings.

"I don't know, Em, I sure do hope so," he replied.

"Me too, Gene, me too."

* * *

Emily was violently sick again, leaning over the side of the ship, watching the tumultuous waves lapping at the hull of the ship. Rain battered the ship, and the wind felt like ice. The dark night sky enveloped her, and her only piece of comfort was the hand of Gene Roe rubbing her back.

"There, Em, you're doing fine," he whispered in her ear. Emily suddenly felt weak at the knees and collapsed into Gene's arms. He knelt down and gently set Emily on the deck of the ship, his arm still rubbing her back.

"Hey," he soothed, stroking her hair. "It's alright, I'm here, Em, I'm here…"

"Oh _God_, Gene, I _hate _boats…" He chuckled softly.

"Just close your eyes, don't think about it."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her tight.

"I'm so glad you're here, Gene…" Eugene Roe smiled, despite the cold and the wind and the rain. He smiled, because he had Emily Wade.

* * *

Emily had completely and utterly lost track of time. She filled her days and weeks with medical training and physical drills. The months _flew _past, Emily barely catching sight of them as they rushed by. Her weeks spent in the quiet town of Aldbourne had been peaceful compared to the 24/7 training of Toccoa. She could do nothing to stop the weeks flying by, and could only try to take her mind off the not-so distant future and what must be asked of her. She'll have to be strong, not only for the Easy guys and for Gene, but for herself too.

* * *

The truck rumbled along the muddy trail, drawing ever nearer to fate. Rows upon rows of tents stretched out as far as you could see, each soaking wet and covered in mud. The truck grumbled and slid to a halt. The back came down, and the men began pouring out.

Emily jumped out of the back of the truck, into mud, which she realised too late, that reached well above her ankles. She tried to pull out her right foot, only to push it further down into the mud. Laughing, Lieutenant Compton turned round and offered her a hand.

"Thanks," she blushed. This wasn't the first time she'd needed a hand with things. He heaved her out of the mud, and grinned.

"No, problem," he winked and then walked off. Emily glanced up towards the sky. Grey clouds gathered and hung over their heads, threatening a downpour. She walked past Hoobler, deep in conversation with a Tommy dressed as a Kraut. Hoobler was marvelling over a Luger, he hadn't stopped talking about one since they found out they'd be going to Europe. Emily wasn't sure about Hoob, but she couldn't understand a thing he was saying.

* * *

Emily sat on a crate, rubbing her hands together, trying to muster up a little heat for her numb fingers. A thin layer of mist covered the airstrip, and an ice cold breeze rattled through the field. She wiggled her toes in her boots, at least two sizes too big, but the smallest they came. It seemed almost everything here was too big for her. She exhaled softly, resting her chin upon her delicately folded arms.

"Fingers any better?" Emily turned round to face the young, raven-haired Cajun staring at her, a mischievous grin painted on his pale face, cheeks red from the bitter cold.

"A bit," she smiled back.

"I'm telling you," he sat down beside her on the muddy, boot-trodden ground, not bothering to look for a crate of his own, "Strange weather for June alright."

"I suppose." She shivered, half out of lack of warmth, half out of anxiousness.

* * *

Another tear leaked down Emily's already tear-stained face. Gene put a hand to her face and gently wiped away the new batch of tears. He put his hand under her chin, and raised her face so her eyes met his.

"I… I don't want to leave you," she sobbed, and buried her face in his chest.

"I know…" he rubbed her back soothingly, and wrapped his arms around her.

"But… but what if…"

"Shh…" Gene stopped her, pressing his finger to her lips. "Don't think about that. Just concentrate on looking after yourself, okay?" he smiled weakly. She wiped the tears from her face and nodded.

"Be strong," he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close. And with that, Eugene Roe let go of Emily and starting walking towards his plane, not looking back. Unbeknown to Emily, it was because he had started shedding tears of his own.

* * *

Emily heaved herself off the ground. _No_, she thought, _it's no use_. Her pack weighed almost as much as she did, and getting off the ground like this would be impossible. She saw Lieutenant Meehan helping the men in front of her to stand up. Finally, it was her turn, and he heaved her to her feet.

"Good luck, Wade," he smiled.

"Thank you, sir." Emily tried to salute, but the amount of gear she had on her prevented her hand from getting higher than her shoulder. Meehan laughed, and saluted her back.

* * *

The dark night flew passed the window, and Emily glanced towards the dark abyss of an ocean below. The night was calm, with only a hint of a gentle breeze. The men were quiet. Thinking. Remembering. Praying.

A tear slid down her cheek and Talbert reached out and gently took her hand in his own. She turned to face him, her pale face lit up by the moon. Emily opened her mouth.

"Gene…" she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Hey…" he took her face in his hands, "Don't worry. the Doc's gonna be alright."

The plane shuddered, sending a vicious rattle up her back. She squeezed Tab's hand and looked across at the terrified face of Shifty Powers. He smiled at her, obviously trying to hide his terror. Emily couldn't really blame him.

_Oh God_, she thought. _Oh God, please let Gene be alright, please…_

Suddenly the sky was filled with bursts of light and sound. The plane shuddered again, more violently this time. Emily caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, and glanced out the window to find the left engine on fire. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart felt as if it would burst from her chest.

An explosion ripped through the plane, and flames began to engulf the men at the back. Tab pulled her to her feet and hooked her to the wire stretching the length of the plane.

"You're gonna have to jump, Emily, okay?"

Emily squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. Tab pushed her towards the door, but the plane veered to the right and she lost her footing. He heaved her up once more and shouted,

"Jump, Emily! Go! Jump!"

Emily threw herself out of the plane, watched her parachute open above her, and slipped into oblivious unconsciousness.

* * *

**Ooh... Do you think I rushed this chapter a little? I'm not too sure :S Anyways, thank you for reading :)**


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